Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-09-21


rigidity as if 1 were an accomplice of this
crime There is a just limit, which l beg of
you not to pass Your questions and your
insinuatious humillate and fatigue me. II
you please, let this end"
a only search the light, madame" said
Lacroix with much gentleness, and TO sur
round myself with all the witnesses that
might form my conviction. As YOU wish.
madame, | will withdraw, particularly as /
have noticed for some moments that YOU
We're profoundly agitated"
With this he saluted her coldly. but
politely, and withdrew, leaving her prey to
violent agitation What to dot How hinder
Victoria from telling all she knewl How
much did she knowi Would all she Dos
sessed buy her silence? Hardly knowing
what she did she rang for Victoria. but
learned that she had been ordered to 90
directly to the magistrates office, where she
was now without doubt being examined by
NJ. Lacroix. Henriette passed over in her
mind all that had happened, and the more she
thought the greater grew her agony, for she
knew that her own denial, coupled with what
Victoria might say, would serve to bring down
the avalanche upon her shoulders She could
do nothing but sit in a weary, dazed way,
could not rouse her
In the meantime the magistrate by threats
| and promises obtained from Victoria the fact
| that mother and child had been on the ha.-
| cony, that she had heard every word they
had said as they spoke to some one 10 her IN
visible, and who they believed to be Roger
laroque; heard Suzanne say: "There is papa
| going TO see the neighbour" their apparent
agitation; and all that testimony was written
| down and she was made TO sign it, and then
| told not TO go hack to that house, hut to hold
herself in readiness for future orders Then
Nj Lacroix took all the papers he had sized
| at the dead mans house and read them, after
which he made them into two packages. One
held papers Of ~ moment, the other CON
tanned two letters only. each containing but
a few lines But in reading them Mr.. La
| croix could not restrain an exclamation OF joy
and surprise These letters were dated six
and eight DAYS back, and both addressed to
Larouette, who, according to the addresses on
the envelopes, lived at that time Rue st, Roch,
No. II, in Paris. The first was as follows:
Sir: You call upon me to pay to you $780,
600 francs, loaned me by your uncle,
Mr. Celestin Vaubernon, whose heir you are
l will not conceal from you that the restitu-
ton of so important a sum at the present mo-
ment will greatly embarrass me. If you will
call at my office at Rue St Maur, viii ex-
plain to you the nature of that emharraSs-
ment, ROGER LARoQUE"
The other was more laconic and even des-
perate.
Sir: You exact your money. You have
the right to dose, You can call at Rue st.
Maur, and receive from the cashier the $780,
600 francs left by your uncle, plus the interest
which has accrued, and which paid yearly.
IL is for me almost the certainty of ruin,
bankruptcy and dishonor
"RoGER LARoQUEH
NJ. Lacroix was convinced. At least proofs
seemed to accumulate pointing to Laroqus
as the murderer And, horrible thought the
wife and child had witnessed the crime The
motive was clear Laroque had paid Larou-
cite, and to AVOID ruin and bankruptcy had
planned and executed this crime
| NJ Lacroix did not lose his time in useless
deductions. He felt that he must move
quickly to prevent Roger Laroque from
dispensing the sum OF money be had stolen
from Larouette He took the train from Paris
and went direct 20 the prefecture of the
police, and they gave him two keen detectives,
/
Versailles, where be made his report to the
judge and state attorney. Then, being at
liberty to act, he shut himself up in his study
TO lay out his plans for the preliminary ex-
animation OF the inhabitants OF the Villa
Moutalais.
And what was taking place at the villa
during this coming and going of the commits
sary OF the police! Henriette was in a mortal
agony of fear since the morning. Fever
burned in her veins. She was left in DOUBT
and uncertainty, Victoria did not return.
Roger did not come home at the usual hour
Night fell and the hours dragged on The
windows were all closed. Toward l O'Clock
in the morning Roger returned. He came, as
he had the night before, to listen al the door Of
his wife's room, and then go out ON tiptoe tc
his own room, where be CLOSED the door al
once.
But the silence was 50 profound that tht
mother and child heard Roger, while prepar
ing for sleep, sing a childish little air which
he had taught Suzanne to sing
This second night dragged along rs had the
last, only that Suzanne slept in her mothers
bed But Henrietta never thought Of lying
down She remained wide awake, trying to
listen to her heart, and trying to think OF
some way out Of this dreadful danger, every
moment her excited Imagination taking her
over the horrible scene again.
The morning sun found her as the setting
one had left her. About O'Clock she heard
noise in her husbands room He had slept
without phantOuls or rernorse and he awoke
gay and light hearted for he sung as be
dressed, the same little song he had sung the
uight before, Yes, be sung while dressing
and with his window open to the cool morn
ing air
He came to his wife's door
"Come inl7 said Heuriette in a feeble
VOICE
Roger went in, with Sniie on his lips, but
stopped in surprise. seeing his wife up ant
dressed.
ALREADY" said he, "and it is not 5 yet"
1T Is so fine that shall 20 for a walk witt
Suzanne, " said she
@You are very happy. How I wish l cnulc
go along" And he kissed Henriette tanderly
and she did not forbid him by look or gesture
and then noticing Suzanne, whose look of fea
he could not understand be said:
How is this, young lady, To-day again il
your mothers bedi They spoil you | shall
have to look at this" And, seating himsel
beside her on the bed, he took his little cir
up in his arms in her night dress She di,
not open her lips, and her eyes were fxec
until q stranger would have said she had los
her reason. "You are not awake yet am
you are cross, said Roger "Cuddle dow
and 60 10 sleep again, Mademoiselle, kissin.
her again and covering her up carefully
"Ahl" said he in an Indifferent tone, ''thi
murder Of our neighbor-have they foun
! ant oh Hyhf Il
Il do not know; the commissionnaire of til
police came here yesterday to question us. !"
"YouP exclaimed Roger energetically.
; 81, Suzanne and the servants
"And to what endF'
'As there was a pistol shot fired in tn
house 50 Close TO ours they might natural
perhaps saw something"
THAT is so ~
- But you, Roger, said she. trembling, ''ho-
, did you know about this murder, since yo
left here yesterday morning before it We
discovered
when came home last night the chief {
Z the railroad station told me what he knew
little in fact, not even the mans name"
"Our neighbor was named Laronette
D Roger turned brusqueiy as he heard tn
e name and turned pale
What did you say his name VASE
"Larouette | heard that during the day
well that is strange murmered Roger
D then said:
n kh,rrb